Limit theorems for Dempster's rule of combination (Q1122203)

The theory of Markov chains is used for the description of \textit{A. P. Dempster}'s rule [see Ann. Math. Stat. 38, 325-339 (1967; Zbl 0168.175)]. It is shown that each application of the rule corresponds to a transformation in a Markov chain. This representation is applied to the proof of a limit theorem concerning the long term effect of updating belief functions in Dempster's rule. The proposed approach may be useful for other considerations in Dempster's theory of evidence.